Early Bird
by starmuffin
Summary: Kink meme prompt: A while back, Altair saved a child from some guards, and brought him back to Masyaf.


A/N: Kink meme fill. _A while back, Altair saved a child from some guards, and brought him back to Masyaf. Every time he's around, Altair goes to see the boy, and they become quite close (when the boy advances in rank, Altair acts like a proud dad, after Al Mualim stabs him, the boy clings to him crying, stuff like that). After Altair kills Robert and goes back to Masyaf, and kills Al Mualim, he goes looking for the boy only to find him dying... _

Fixed the ending. I must confess that I rushed it at the end so... I wanted to fix it so bad!

Haytham means young hawk.

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><p>The smell of rotting flesh was so strong, it had Altair reeling back trying hard not to gag. Throughout the entire search of whatever was left of the small village, many of the younger assassins had stumbled to their knees vomiting. The air was thick with the smell of meat left out on the sun to rot, it was suffocating, making it almost impossible to breath. Taking a deep breath through his mouth, Altair walked inside, trying to listen for any signs of life. At the corner of the main room was a body so mutilated, that Altair was barely able to tell it was a child. Whoever attacked this village had to be a bunch of sick fucks... attacking an innocent, especially a child in such a manner... it was obvious that these people had no way to defend themselves. It was when he started to wonder if Templars had done this, that he heard it.<p>

Crying.

Slowly, he walked towards the direction the crying was coming from and peaked inside the room. It was lightly lit making it easier to see than the previous rooms, still, Altair was surprised that he was able to spot the child at all. The child looked around 10 years of age, his clothing torn and soaked with blood, most likely not even his. His face was covered in blood and filth, save for the clear path of tears running down his face. What caught Altair's attention the most was the boy's eyes though, they were bright against the blood on his face glistening with tears, but they his attention. Made him hesitate.

Before Altair could do anything, the boy shifted, and with reflexes faster than a child should possessed, he reached for a sharp object (a dagger, Altair's mind supplied) and pointed it at him. The boy's stare was sharp and focused, still dark with grief and fear, but there was also anger, determination... and acceptance.

He had the eyes of a man ready to fight to the death.

Slowly, Altair removed his hidden blade and placed it on the ground, next reaching for his sword. The boy's eyes soften slightly although he did not drop his stance. When all his weapons were laid on the ground, Altair approached the boy, removing his hood showing the boy that he meant no harm.

"I won't hurt you, boy." he said as gently as he could, still a big weary of the dagger the child was still pointing at him. "I want to help..."

The boy stared back, then looked desperately at the bodies surrounding him. Altair felt his stomach drop, realizing that they probably had been the child's family, and started to wonder how long had this child been sitting here, surround by the corpses of his family, how long had he been here hiding in fear that whatever monsters had done this would come back? He took another step closer as the boy slowly lowered his arm, his eyes finally breaking their steady gaze as loud sobs broke out. Altair hesitated, not really sure of what to do. He wished Malik had come along, despite the fact that it would have been an endless headache, at least the other assassin knew how to comfort children; his younger brother had been a bit of a cry baby when they had been younger and the elder always managed to calm him down. But Malik wasn't here, and Altair could not just stand there, so taking a deep breath he crouched down in front of the child, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder and before he could even think of what he was going to say, the boy launched himself at him, clinging at him, soft sobs coming out muffled. Altair's arms hovered around the boy's frame before slowly wrapping them around him.

"It will be alright, child." the boy's crying calmed slightly, as he moved his head around to look at the bodies surrounding them. Altair ignored the feeling that started to rise when he heard the boy mumble a "mama" at one of the bodies, before clinging to him again. Gently, he picked the child up, cradling him against his shoulder, stopping to pick up his weapons as he walked out of the corpse infested home, feeling the boy lift his head up on the way out. When the Master Assassin that had been assigned to come with them approached Altair, the boy hid his face again, wrapping his arms around the assassin's neck.

"Is this the only survivor you found?"

"Yes."

The assassin leader sighed, looking at the boy briefly before giving Altair his next order.

"That is unfortunate...it seems he's the only one left alive. Very well, I'll leave him under your care until we arrive at Masyaf. See if he can tell you anything about the attack, if he speaks. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

The assassin nodded and walked away calling out his new order. Not a moment after the other man had left, the boy lifted his head from Altair's shoulder to look around.

"Are we leaving?"

Altair jumped a little in surprised, not expecting the sound of the child's voice.

"We are, it isn't safe here, whoever attacked your village could come back."

The child stayed silent throughout the entire ride back to Masyaf, he did not question or protested the fact that they were taking him along, probably figuring that it was his best option. It was not until they were crossing the main gate that the boy finally spoke to Altair again.

"What's your name?" his voice was laced the curiosity that only a child could possess; Altair felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

"My name is Altair Ibn La-Ahad. Altair is fine. And what is your name, boy?"

"Haytham... nice to meet you Altair." There was a hint of playfulness in his voice. Altair felt himself smiling now.

"Nice to meet you as well, Haytham."

* * *

><p>Haytham had been in Masyaf for three months now, his mistrust of the other assassins fading. At first, he had been unsure of what to make of them. He remembered what his father had told him about the assassins, and while most of it had been good things, he still spoke of them with slight fear. They were dangerous. And he was right, they were extremely dangerous, at least to whoever they were targeting, to their own they were surprisingly kind. Still, he was surprised to find himself agreeing with them. Three months ago he would have argued that killing would not lead to peace but after his village, his home, his mother and father, sisters being killed, murdered for nothing... he always tried so hard not to think about them at their final moments. Watching his older sister help their mother to her feet, his father yelling at them to hide, not being able to find his younger sister...<p>

Haytham suddenly found himself crying. Cursing, he furiously wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He was trying to become an assassin, and assassins did not cry! What would the other kids say if they knew he was crying in his room? What would his teachers say? What would Altair say...

"Haytham?"

Haytham slightly jumped at the sound of his name, and peaked out of the corner of his eye to see Altair standing in the doorway.

"You asked for extra training, you could at least get up." He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Haytham suddenly felt pressure on his arm, and felt Altair lean on him, trying to look him in the face. "Child, what's the matter?"

"I... nothing."

"Haytham..." Altair sighed, placing his hand on top of the child's head. "It's alright, you don't need to hold it in."

"But assassins don't cry." he frowned when Altair chuckled at that.

"You lost everything, what makes you think you don't have the right to mourn?"

"It's been a while..." Haytham mumbled, turning around in his bed, looking up at Altair. "I shouldn't be crying over it anymore..."

"Haytham," Altair sighed, running his fingers lightly through his hair. Haytham closed his eyes. "it's been only a few months since your family died, I would be worried if you did not show any signs of mourning. Besides, even if it's been years, while you should not cry every time you think of your family, it's okay to feel sad about it."

"Did you have sad stuff that happened to you?"

"...I did. We all do at some point in our lives, child."

"...You don't cry over it."

Altair rolled his eyes at the response. This child... he looked down and saw the corners of Haytham's mouth twitching. He sighed and shook his head; Altair was starting to realize that this boy was going to be an endless headache...

"Have you cried before?"

Altair stared at him for a few moments, playing with his hair before answering.

"I have... my parents did not...no that isn't right." he paused frowning, "I am sure that they did care, but it is not our way to be close to our families, but sometimes the fact that they were never around would... upset me."

"Oh."

"Your parents... they cared." _They died for you_ was left unspoken.

"Yes. I guess they did." a pause. "I miss them a lot."

The room was silent until Altair worked up the courage to ask, "What was your family like?"

Haytham smiled at the question as he sat up on his bed. He spent the next hour telling Altair about his mother's cooking, how smart his father had been, how his older sister had been discussing marriage, how adorable his younger sister had been...

Altair just sat there and listened.

* * *

><p><em>2 years later<em>

"My mother used to sing to us during storms." Haytham murmured into his pillow as they watched the storm from the inside of Altair's room. Rain was rare in these lands, especially storms like these, but it was not rare for the younger assassins to be afraid of the storms; it was not surprising that Haytham was afraid as well. He had been hinting at the fact for the past hour.

So instead of pointing this out, Altair continued to watch the storm next to him. He always hesitated when it came to showing any sort of affection, and never really tried to comfort anyone, but for some reason with Haytham, although he still held back, Altair had an easier time doing so. He did not remember his mother ever showing him any sort of tenderness, or his father ever try to comfort him, so Altair really had no idea if what he was doing was right. He had never been good with words, never mind with comforting someone, especially a child. With a sigh, he sat fully on the bed now, with his back to the wall, running his hand through Haytham's hair. The boy tensed up for a moment, before relaxing and turning around to face Altair, laying his head on the older man's lap. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Altair spoke.

"I only know one song," he paused frowning, Haytham looking up at the older man. "And I do not remember the words to it."

Before Haytham could say anything Altair started to hum.

The assassin's voice was not beautiful by any means. When speaking, Altair's voice was harsh, strong, it was mean to strike fear. And when singing, his voice was not steady, and his pitch was too low for certain parts of the song. Still, besides that, or perhaps because of it, Altair's voice was soothing.

But it did the trick. It distracted Haytham from the storm outside.

* * *

><p>As the years went by, Altair and Haytham had become extremely close. Although no matter how much they confided in one another ,they could never decide what they were to each other, much less talk about it. When Altair looked at Haytham, he felt like a different person, like he could do more than just end lives, like he could do so much more. He felt pride every time the child accomplished something, and so much... God, yes, there were times he wanted he wanted to smack the child (child? 14 years of age was no child by any means). He was a troublemaker, prideful, liked to pull pranks on some of his teachers... a lot like what Altair had been like at that age. Al Mualim, one of the few who noticed how close the two were, joked about how Altair made a lousy father, and it was in that moment that Altair started to realized what the child was starting to mean to him. But he could never ask how Haytham felt, had no right to ask for such a thing. What right did he have to even try to take the place of the man who died for his son?<p>

But when he really thought about it, Altair knew that it wasn't important. It did not matter if Haytham saw him as a father figure, or a brother, or a friend. Because as long as he could see that smile on Haytham's face, and get to watch him grow into the amazing man Altair knew he would become, it was alright.

He could live with that.

* * *

><p>They talked before Solomon's Temple. Haytham had not been trained as an assassin since birth, so he had been behind others his age. But he had been a fast learner and proved to be just as skilled as his unofficial guardian, so they were going to start letting him join the others and go on missions. Altair had seen Haytham fight, knew how skilled the boy actually was... he should not be worried. But he was. He was terrified. He tried to have Haytham come along with him on a mission, feeling better if he was around to make sure things went alright, but Al Mualim decided that Altair would hover too much, and not let Haytham learn on his own. He was right of course, he would not let the boy work, but he just...it was the reason why they needed to talk. He knew what Haytham was capable of, knew he would be alright but even so, for his own peace of mind...<p>

"I'll be fine Altair." Haytham laughed as he played with his dagger, "it's not even a dangerous mission! I'm not even killing anyone! Besides, what would the others say if they knew you were babysitting me? They would never let me live it down, and even if you promised me to leave me alone, you wouldn't do it. I know you..."

"Haytham... I know how reckless you are-"

"And so are you!"

"Okay... you're right..." he sighed and looked at young man next to him. He looked so... carefree and confident- "Okay. Alright you... just," he took a deep breath, "Be okay? Don't show off."

Haytham smirked (Al Mualim was right, Altair was a terrible influence), "While I can promise I will not do anything stupid, I can't promise that last bit. Most of them are expecting me to be just as amazing as The Eagle of Masyaf, and I just can't disappoint my fellow assassins." Altair was starting to see why Malik would always snap at him. What a cocky little bastard...

Still, he couldn't help but smirk back.

* * *

><p>The first thing he did after getting scolded like a child, getting stabbed and being demoted to a novice, was go looking for Haytham. In truth, Altair did not care what the others thought of the whole situation, save maybe for Malik, and of course, Haytham. Especially Haytham. He found himself afraid, terrified really, of what the boy would think of him. Would he be ashamed of what his supposed guarding and mentor had done? Everyone else, if they chose to never speak to him again, he could deal with that, really he could.<p>

But not Haytham.

It took him a while, but he eventually found where the boy was hiding. Taking a deep breath, Altair approached him.

"Haytham." Altair waited for him to look at him before continuing, but he never got the chance.

"Altair!" Haytham yelled, his face going from surprised, to happy, to... whatever that last expression meant. Altair was about to ask what was wrong with him, but was interrupted by the younger male running to him and tackling him. "Oh god... shit you..."

It took a few seconds for Altair to realize that Haytham was either close to or already crying.

"I thought you died, I thought they would have killed... I thought that the master killed you and everyone was saying that it was about time and how cocky you were and you deserved it but not everyone was saying that just those stupid idiots who are totally jealous of you like-"

"Haytham."

"-and they blamed the whole Robert de Sable thing on you but really I think it was more on Malik since they showed up a few minutes after he came but even then it really wasn't his fault its stupid to blame stuff like that on-"

"Haytham."

"-I swear I was going to beat up all those bastards that were insulting you and I was all ready to take on the master to avenge you and I'm so glad you're alive I don't know what I would do if you died-"

"HAYTHAM!" Altair finally shouted, a small smile forming on his face. "Haytham, please stop talking." He couldn't help the small sad smile forming on his face at the look the boy was giving him. "I'm alright child, it's alright."

Haytham's eyes were glistening with tears, and it took him a couple of tries before he could keep speaking.

"I thought... I thought that I was going to be alone again." he finally managed to choke out. At Altair's silence, he hid his face on the man's shoulder, and with one hand grasped his tunic tightly in his fist. "I don't want to be alone again." he whispered that last part so softly that Altair almost didn't hear it. Closing his eyes, he returned the half hug that Haytham was giving him burying his face in the younger man's hair.

"I won't leave you child... I promise."

"Altair?"

"Yes?" he frowned when Haytham pushed him away, but relaxed when he saw a slight look of annoyance on his face. He was almost afraid to know what the child would say-

"I... am...not... a child! I'm 15 years old, stop calling me a kid, especially in front of my friends, they make fun of me-... why the hell are you laughing at me!"

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><p>For the next 3 months during his mission, Altair would always make sure to visit Haytham when he went back to Masyaf, even though he knew he should hurry and be done with his duty. Sometimes he would stay an extra day, help Haytham train; he had been informed that he would be given a hidden blade soon, and of course the younger man made a huge deal about it when he spoke to Altair, and laughed when Altair had shown some concern over it, giving him the "I am not a child!" speech again. They spoke of the killings Altair had done, even sharing their thoughts on why the master wanted them dead. He had not meant to share this information with Haytham, but the boy was so good at getting things out of him, and it was impossible to hide things from him anyway.<p>

"Why are you smiling? It's kind of scary when you smile. The younger kids think that, did you know that?"

If only he would be quiet every once in a while...

"Nothing, nothing... oh, I spoke with Malik."

"Did he try to kill you? Was he an asshole to you again, because if he was, I'm going to kick his sorry behind so hard..."

"No Haytham, he did not try to murder me or insult me. We spoke about the events of Solomon's Temple, and I've been forgiven-"

"You did nothing wrong-"

"It's alright now. You can stop pretending to hate Malik." Altair could not keep the smile down, despite the aura of danger he gave out, he was still such a little brat.

Haytham scoffed at his smile. "I am not pretending, he's the angriest person I have ever met. He thinks too highly of himself, and... well actually you do too, but you can't help it, with people always telling you how amazing you are, makes that ego of yours grow-"

"Please stop rambling-"

"-I always liked Kadar better anyway... I miss him, he was fun, unlike Malik who's totally boring and a jerk."

"You never shut up, child."

"Not a child, old man!"

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><p>The last conversation he had with Haytham, before everything went to hell, was the night before going back to Jerusalem, and his fight with Robert de Sable. Altair felt that he could not trust anyone anymore, except for Haytham, and now, Malik. Which was why he wanted to speak with the other man about some of his thoughts on the assassinations he had done. While speaking with Haytham had been helpful, the boy was too young to fully understand. Malik was a smart man and Altair was convinced that he would be able to help him shed some light into the situation.<p>

Before leaving, he had gone looking for Haytham like he always did before leaving Masyaf. He had a feeling that something was going to happen, what, he did not know, but whatever it was, he did not want Haytham involved.

Altair knew he could handle many anything, be it an army of thousands of men attacking, every Templar suddenly showing up... he knew he could deal, knew that he would somehow come above it. But knowing that Haytham was around, that there was a possibility of him getting hurt, that thought alone would make him irrational, and that was the last thing Altair needed. He knew that getting the boy to leave Masyaf would be impossible, especially if he believed that there was an attack coming, he most definitely would want to stick around.

They met up in Haytham's room after dinner, made small conversation about training, small gossip, things they had done together in the past, until the younger male finally sighed and stared at him.

"So now that we've talked about my childhood, the weather, and even town gossip, you can finally tell me what you really want to say, instead of rambling like an idiot-"

"If you stay silent, I will tell you." Altair smirked when the boy abruptly stopped talking. "Listen... there is something strange going on with this assignment that the master has send me on. I am nearing the end of it, but I can feel that this is not the end, that there is more, and that is why I need you to stay put. I know you are skilled. I know that you are brave, and despite never shutting up, you do know how to stay silent. I need you to stay out of the way, can you do this?"

Haytham stared at him for a few moments later, and looked down for a brief moment before speaking. "I... I can but," he paused looking up at Altair once again, "... what's going on? Will you tell me?"

"I think..." Altair paused, trying to find the words, "Maybe the master is not telling us everything. I want to know the truth, this is why I'm going to meet with Richard and maybe... I truly do not know what's going to happen, and this is why I need you to listen to me, and stay safe in case anything happens. You have gone to Jerusalem, you know where the bureau is, so in case anything happens here, go there. Malik is safe, he will take care of you." Altair prepared himself for the explosion of "I don't need to be protected" speech, but it never came. Instead, Haytham looked at him with slight fear, opening and closing his mouth a few times before he could get out what he wanted to say.

"You'll come back... right? You promised me, remember?" he stopped talking when Altair pulled him into an awkward hug, which turned into a full one the moment Haytham got a hold of his robes.

"I will come back, I promise. But I need you to promise that you will listen to me, and run if there's danger here. Do not try to be a hero, you'll have plenty of time later to do that, when you become a full assassin, but for now, please, just listen to me."

"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say."

Altair sighed, feeling his whole body relax.

"Thank you."

They walked together towards the exit, and stood together in silence when they reached the front gates. Altair closed his eyes for a minute before looking at Haytham, staring at his features, his eyes especially. He had always loved his eyes, they were always watching, even when he was being his usual self, his eyes always picked up on everything that was going round him.

"I'll be leaving now. Please..."

"I will." At the pause, Altair turned around, about to mount the horse when Haytham spoke again. "Altair, you know..."

"Yes?"

They started at each other, both trying to read what the other wanted to say, and both being very good at hiding it. Suddenly, Haytham smiled.

"You're going to be the most over protective father ever." And before Altair could react, the boy took off.

* * *

><p>The first thing Altair thought of, the moment after he had been attacked by his own brothers, was Haytham. And if Malik had no shown up, Altair would have gone looking for the younger man, would have left his brothers to kill each other, and forgotten about his responsibility and duty as an assassin, as a member of their brotherhood. But he knew that he could not, and the fact that Haytham had to be second in his list of priorities at the moment, filled him with so much rage, he could barely contain it.<p>

Altair had never hated being an assassin until that moment.

* * *

><p>The hold the Apple had on him broke at the sound of Malik calling out his name. He was dimly aware of the man standing next to him along with the men Malik had brought along. All of them started at the illusion the Apple was showing them, and Altair could vaguely hear Malik asking him questions concerning the Apple and Al Mualim. So many questions, and later, Altair would answer them, but at the moment this madness was not important... no, what was important was-<p>

"Haytham." he whispered before he took off running, vaguely aware of Malik calling after him. He ran through the village faster than he'd ever remembered, his senses never had been as sharp as they were now.

He didn't know where he was going, just kept running through Masyaf hoping that somehow he would ran into Haytham. Altair must have searched for at least a few minutes before he turned towards an alley, his stomach suddenly dropping at the sight of blood disappearing into the darkness...and somehow he knew.

"Haytham!" he yelled running towards the alley. There were bodies every where, not all dead, but most of the live ones were so injured, it was obvious that they would not make it. He snapped out of it when he heard his name being whispered. He snapped back and there he was.

There was blood everywhere. On the ground surrounding him, his clothes, his hair, his face...

_/face was covered in blood and filth, save for the clear path of tears running down his face/_

Altair groaned at the memory and quickly got on his knees in front of the younger male. His eyes were frantic and panicked, could feel the prickle of panicked tears in his eyes. He leaned closer, softly touching Haytham's bloody face, and felt slight relief when the boy opened his eyes and looked at him. Altair could feel his heart ache at the smile Haytham managed to give him.

"Altair..." he whispered softly, his smile spreading. "You... came. I knew you would..."

"Stop talking." Altair demanded, panic lacing his voice as he reached for his robes and tore the fabric off. He was bleeding so much... had to bandage the wound on his stomach, had to make a tourniquet for his leg, the wound so close to his neck... Altair bit his tongue, hard. He could not afford panic, it wouldn't do Haytham any good. "Stay still. It'll be okay."

"They attacked... our brothers attacked... why? Wha...what happened?"

"T-the master betrayed us... stop moving." So much blood...

"I see," Haytham smiled, blood streaming down the corners of his mouth. "you took c-care of it. Of course you did ...you always... do. Always... knew that... y-you would come looking for m-me."

"STOP TALKING!" Altair yelled in distress, finally giving up trying to treat Haytham's wounds. It was obvious that the boy would not make it... so much blood everywhere. The sight of it never made him sick before, he was so used to it from an early age, it was part of being a killer. Being covered in Haytham's blood made him feel light headed and nauseous. "I...I'm sorry."

"Why? You.."

"I was too late..." Altair stopped to take a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady through the lump in his throat. He gave up trying to hold back tears, there was no point anymore.

"No... not... your fault. You always... Alt-... you..." Haytham suddenly stopped talking, chocking on his own blood bubbling from his mouth. He turned his head to spit, and looks at him with that goddamn smile of his, reaching out to touch Altair's face. "Wanted... to tell you something..."

"What?" he leaned down and picked Haytham up as gently as he could, burying his face in Haytham's bloody hair.

"Never told you... that, I always thought... t-that you... were like...a little like my father. He was a lot like you, except for the a-assassin... part." he chuckled at that, smiling into Altair's chest. "But also, so different... I wonder... if he would... a-approve of you as my..." he stopped, his voice giving out into a slur, blood dripping down his mouth.

Altair lifted his head from Haytham's hair, pulling the younger man up to look at him in the eyes. They were bright against the blood on his face, on his hair, neck, everywhere.

No no no no no, this is-

"I thought you... would think that it was weird, if I started to... to t-think of you as my father. That you wouldn't agree."

"Don't be an idiot."

The smile Altair got from his answer, despite the situation, made him smile back. They sat like that for a while, Haytham's breathing started getting louder as he tried to get air into his lungs, his eyes glazing over. Altair adjusted Haytham in his arms, making sure the younger man was comfortable. He didn't know what to do to ease his suffering, didn't know what to say. He could feel the struggle Haytham was having with breathing, could feel the warmth of his blood sipping through his clothes.

"...'m scared..." Haytham managed to slur out in a small voice. "Hurts..."

Altair stayed silent for a moment, before scooting back a bit, his back against the wall behind them. Sighing, Altair pulled Haytham's head to his chest, playing with his hair as he started to hum softly. He felt more than heard Haytham chuckle softly, before he started to hum along.

Altair could hear the village coming to life once more, people running around probably trying to figure out what happened; Malik would find him soon.. and maybe if he hurried they could take Haytham and get him patched up _he won't make it you idiot you messed up again your fault you should have come save him quicker just like Adha you failed her too_ and everything would be fine again if Malik _he hates you remember you got his brother killed what makes you think he would want to save someone YOU care about give up he doesn't care about you no one will after Haytham dies_ would hurry up.

And somehow he managed to hold his hysteria in, managed to keep his voice as soft as he could, despite wanting to scream.

_useless so fucking useless_

He finally snapped back when he realized that Haytham's humming gave out into a weak gasp of breath _God no please anything I'll do anything take me not him he's young he's so much better than me-_, before going limp in his arms _no no no no no oh god-_. Altair took deep shallow breaths, feeling himself chocking on his own breath. Somehow he could vaguely hear Malik yelling and coming closer, and it wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that Altair snapped out of it.

Suddenly everything broke out and he could not hold it in anymore. He held on the body in his arms, sobs wrecking through his body.

/"_Have you cried before?"/_

_oh god shit can't- _

Altair barely registered someone kneeling next to him trying to say something to him _Altair... what... oh...Altair..._ trying to put their arms _just one you idiot you failed Malik too failure you keep on hurting the ones you love don't you _around him.

Whatever happened after that, he didn't remember what he found himself not caring.

Haytham was dead, nothing mattered anymore.

_failure _

* * *

><p>Malik knew of Haytham. He knew that it wasn't rare to Altair and the boy together, but Malik had never really thought too much about it. The boy had been skilled for someone who had not been born into the life of an assassin, and even beyond that. Teachers had liked the boy, he was smart although a bit of a troublemaker, something Malik wasn't surprised about, the boy hung out with Altair, who had been like that when he had been a novice. He just figured, like everyone else, that Altair had taken a special interest in the boy because of his skills. Looking back on it, that train of thought had been ignorant, the two of them did not act like they had a simple teacherstudent relationship. The way they talked, the way they interacted with one another... well, Malik was surprised he didn't notice it before. Admittedly, Malik had the same mentality as many of the others had, concerning Altair, and the fact that Malik had assumed like everyone else... it left him feeling ignorant. Not to mention feeling like an idiot.

Worse, he didn't know what to do now. Somehow, Altair managed to pull himself together a few minutes after Malik had found him. It had been strange to see Altair like that, even scary that the Eagle of Masyaf, Master Assassin, and now savior of their brotherhood, crying like that. But Malik could relate, he had not held himself together well either after Kadar had died... if anything he knew what Altair was feeling to some degree, and as much as he wanted to comfort the other man, he just didn't know what to do. What could he say to a man who had lost the equivalent of a son? Worse, what could he say to convince Altair that this was not his fault? The entire time Malik held Altair, the man keep apologizing to the body he was holding in his arms, saying how all of this was his fault, and how he just kept failing everyone he cared about. And Malik just couldn't help but feel guilty, because he knew that some of this guilt Altair had was Malik's fault but he had been so angry and upset and wanted something or someone to blame-

Shit. It didn't matter anymore, that wasn't important right now, what was important was helping Altair deal with this, and making him understand that none of this was his fault.

After they buried the dead, Malik tried to find Altair, but the man had disappeared among the crowd of assassins gathered around, and after everyone had left, Malik tried Haytham's grave first, thinking it would be the most obvious and likely place Altair would be. But while most had left, there were still others around. He tried many places before he finally found him sitting at the top of a building watching the sun set. It took a great amount of effort for Malik to maneuver to where Altair was sitting, but somehow he managed it without too much trouble. Slowly, he walked towards the assassin, afraid that somehow even the smallest amount of noise would make Altair decide to take off, or trigger another breakdown.

"Malik."

Said man jumped at the sound of his name and stared as Altair turned around to face him, face voided of any emotion. Altair was a hard man to read, the fact that his eyes were shadowed by the hood made things even more difficult, but Malik was one of the few that could read Altair's subtle body language. Mentally preparing himself, Malik walked towards him and sat down as Altair turned his gaze back to the scenery in front of him. They sat together for a few minutes, Altair staring at nothing and Malik trying to figure out what to say, or rather, he knew what he wanted to say but how to say it was the problem.

"Altair, how... how are you doing?"

Altair started to chuckle softly, his voice taking a sad tone as he spoke.

"Not so good, my friend."

Malik felt his heart twist.

"Altair... you know, this... all of this, was not your fault. Al Mualim betrayed us, he used us and left us for dead. Haytham too..." Malik regretted bring up Haytham this soon in the conversation the moment he said it. Looking at Altair, he could see his body was slightly hunched over, his mouth turned into a frown. Slowly, he turned his head towards the rafiq, and this close to him Malik could see his eyes, could see the infinite sadness there.

"I knew that something was wrong, that something was going to happen and instead of taking him away from this, I left him here." He tore his eyes away from Malik, curling into himself away. "I should have taken him with me, I should have known that it wasn't safe here, I... I failed him."

"You didn't!" Malik's sudden outburst made Altair snap back up, staring at him in shock. Malik stared back for a second, surprised himself at his own reaction. Taking a deep breath, and scoot closer towards Altair, now sitting right next to him. Sighing, he looked down at Altair's hands, which were clutching at his own clothing. "It wasn't your fault Altair. You tried so hard for that child, he knew you cared."

Altair's hold on his robes tightened, and Malik felt a lump in his throat as Altair suddenly started to cry, shoulders shaking with such force, Malik was sure all of Masyaf could feel it. With a small amount of hesitation Malik leaned on Altair, his eyes closing at the feel of Altair's hood against his face. He brought his reminding hand towards Altair's left hand, still clutching at his robes, grasping it softly, and felt himself smile when Altair intertwined their fingers together.

Malik felt more than heard Altair laugh.

"What?" Malik leaned away, suddenly afraid that Altair had gone mad, but calmed down when he saw Altair's face, tears still fresh on his face, but the look was softened by the smile on his face.

"Haytham... he hated it when I called him a child." he chuckled as he rubbed his eyes, giving Malik a small smile. "He probably would have punched you, he always thought you were such a grouch."

Malik frowned at that, which made Altair laugh even more.

"I see he got his respect for his superiors from you."

"He still liked you, as much as he tried to deny it."

That smile was starting to make Malik want to smile back, but instead he looked ahead and asked, "Besides his disrespect for adults, and his tendency to show off, what was he like? I never got to know him."

_/"What was your family like?"/_

Altair smirked _and god, Malik hated it when he smirked but not now, he would do anything to keep that expression on this man's face_ as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"He was an irritating little shit... but he was also the best person I've ever known."

"Sounds like someone I know."

The Master Assassin laughed, and Malik couldn't help but finally smile and chuckle with him as Altair spoke of Haytham. He just sat there and listened.

End.


End file.
